Monitoring Policy Making at the United Nations |
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Citizens for Funding the United Nations
MEMORANDUM March 10, 1998 TO: Organizations with interest in the United Nations
FROM: United Nations Association, Emergency Coalition for U.S. Financial Support of the United Nations, League of Women Voters of the U.S., Friends Committee on National Legislation, Baha'is of the U.S., Campaign for U.N. Reform, Church Women United, Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, Union of American Hebrew Congregations, the World Federalist Association and the Global Policy Forum.
RE: Urgent U.N. funding campaignDATE: March 10, 1998
NOTE: This is a supplemental to an earlier call for letter writing sent out by the UNA-USA Council of Organizations on February 23, 1998, which many of you may have received. Our mutual goals are to generate as many letters to Congress, supportive of payment of U.S. arrears, as possible.
Your organization's support is urgently needed! Now is the key time to let Members of Congress hear from your membership, urging the payment of over $1 billion to the United Nations. In March or April Congress is expected to take up legislation which would provide U.S. payments of arrears to the United Nations. Unfortunately, some Members of Congress are reluctant to support the funding, even though the payment of U.S. arrears to the United Nations is a legal and moral obligation.
Members of Congress tell us they don't hear from their constituents about Americans' support for the United Nations. In this critical time, Members need to hear that there is a sizeable and active constituency which believes that the U.S. should honor its obligations to the United Nations.
We urge your organization to send the enclosed materials to your members and ask that they write letters to their Representative and Senators by April 25, 1998. If your organization is a coalition of national groups, it would be helpful if you could pass these materials on to members of your coalition who have local contacts. The packet of materials includes a sample letter that you can adapt to address the specific reasons your organization supports the payments of U.S. arrears to the United Nations and some factsheets which will provide your membership with background information on U.S. participation in the United Nations.
The United Nations is the only universal multilateral forum to address an increasing number of cross-border concerns, including ones that matter to your organization such as environmental protection, food security, human rights (including women's rights), eradication of disease and famine, disarmament, among others. It matters to your organization if the United States minimizes its participation in the only world forum in existence that deals with such global issues.
We know that your organization has many competing priorities, however, if you support U.S. payment of arrears to the U.N. this is the time to act!
If you have any questions please call Sarah Swift 202-547-6000 or Lisa Dix 202-546-1572. Since background information which accompanies the hard copy of this announcement can not be sent by e-mail, it can be found on the web at http:// www.globalpolicy.org. For additional electronic information about the United Nations contact, http://www.unausa.org or http://www.un.org.
Thank you in advance for your support.
View A Sample Letter
A Summary of UN Accomplishments
More Information on UN Finance
Tables and Charts on UN Finance
